My last day at TAC was a quiet one. I walked the labyrinth once in the morning and again in the afternoon, the snow was rapidly melting, and every time I got out there, I could see more and more of the stones. I managed to walk most of the way up TAC Hill, the trail was uncovered in probably 75% of places, though the spots where there was still snow it was relatively deep and very mushy. The trail itself was very muddy and slippery, and that combined with the very strong winds meant that I didn’t want to go up the last third where it was even more exposed, steeper, and had considerable snow. If I had thought about bringing a hiking stick with me, I may have chanced it. As it was, I stopped at the bench and looked out at the beautiful view, enjoying a last look at the place I had called home for the last month. I really felt how much I was going to miss being there and having this quiet, calm time to myself. I was not looking forward to getting back to a much busier, noisier, more crowded place. Though I was looking forward to seeing mom and family and friends.
I got in one last sunrise walk around the labyrinth before heading to the airport.
Because the driveway still had some pretty big drifts of snow, Rob had to do a bit of four wheeling through the sagebrush to get me off property. It was a bumpy and fun end to my trip. There was even a beautiful view of Heart Mountain from the airport waiting lounge. And it was probably the easiest time I’ve ever had going through airport security since there’s only one gate at the airport! We ended up having to sit on the tarmac for about a half an hour because of the high winds at the Denver airport, that gave me the opportunity to have one last look at TAC from afar. I was glad to be flying out during the daytime so I could look out the window and see the views. Luckily, the half hour delay did not make me late for my connecting flight at the Denver airport, though it was a solid 15 minute walk to my other gate. I watch the movie A Real Pain on my flight to San Francisco. I could really identify with the Jesse Eisenberg character, it made me think how I don’t always want to be that responsible, stressed person. I would like to be more like the Kieran Culkin character, at least being able to connect easily with others, not necessarily being a total jerk.
It was exciting to see all of the green mountains and hills as we approached San Francisco – the rain has definitely been good! We got in early and by the time I got down to baggage claim my bags were already there. I headed out to the airporter stand, prepared to wait there for an hour or more since I always seem to miss the bus. This time I was in luck., I had just finished my lunch when it appeared. Mom picked me up from the local stop and I was home by 2:30 – amazing. We had a lovely catch up, I got myself unpacked and Mom made a yummy dinner. I managed to make it through two episodes of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions before needing to head to bed. My body was only an hour ahead, but I had woken up at 5 o’clock in the morning.
The next day I got up and went for a walk around the horseshoe, marveling at how green everything was and seeing the budding blossoms on the trees. It’s much warmer here – getting up to the high 60s yesterday and today. My sister Michelle had spent the night after coming back from spring training so we got to catch up. Later, my friend Heather and I walked out to Tennessee Valley Beach. It was so warm I wished I had worn shorts! It was fantastic to hear about her adventures while I’ve been gone and enjoy a beautiful winter day. It’s been a nice way to ease myself back in to being home. I have had a couple of zoom meetings related to work and my state bar volunteering, but those were all relatively short.
It’s always a mixed blessing coming back home, I miss where I’ve been yet I am glad to be back in my own space. And now I’m thinking about my next adventure! To be continued…